The Executive Branch Review

Category I

100

1. Which of the following is a constitutional duty of the vice president?

a. to assist the president in performing his duties b. to be an ambassador-at-large to foreign countries c. to preside over the House of Representatives d. to preside over the Senate e. to give the "State of the Union" message

200

2. Which of the following are true statements regarding the qualifications for the presidency?

I. No president has been close to the minimum age requirement (35) when elected to the office. II. No one born in another country has ever been president. III. No one has ever served as president who has lived in the United States for at least fourteen years. a. I and II only b. I, II, and III c. I and III only d. II and III only e. II only

300

3. All of the following are expressed presidential powers in the Constitution EXCEPT:

a. commands the armed services b. makes treaties with foreign nations, with the "advice and consent" of the Senate c. appoints ambassadors and judges, with the "advice and consent" of the Senate d. may veto a bill passed by Congress e. may exercise executive privilege

400

4. According to James Barber, which type of president is most likely to be genial and well-liked but less likely to have a distinguished term of office?

a. passive-active b. passive-positive c. passive-negative d. active-negative e. active-positive

500

5. A president's persuasive powers are generally aimed at which audience? I. fellow politicians and leaders in Washington II. party activists and officeholders outside Washington III. the public

a. I and II only b. I only c. I and III only d. III only e. I, II, and III

Category II

100

6. Which of the following accurately describes the president's line-item veto power?

a. The president never has had a line-item veto power. b. The president has always had a line-item veto power. c. The president has had the line-item veto power since 1997. d. The president's line-item veto power was declared unconstitutional in 1997. e. Presidents have always resisted the line-item veto power.

200

The concept of "divided government" refers to

a. a president of one party, the vice president from another b. division of power between national and state levels c. one house of Congress one party as the majority, the majority of the other house being from the other party d. elected officials vs. appointed officials e. Congress having a majority party that is different from the party affiliation of the president

300

A party's vice presidential candidate is usually chosen by

a. a direct general election b. the party convention delegates c. the party "bosses" d. the primaries e. the party's presidential candidate

400

Which of the following government officials are appointed by the president, but do NOT need to be confirmed by the Senate?

a. the White House Staff b. the Executive Office of the President c. Cabinet members d. Supreme Court justices e. judges in District and Appellate Courts

500

All of the following are agencies in the Executive Office of the president EXCEPT:

a. Office of Management and Budget b. Central Intelligence Agency c. National Space and Aeronautic Administration d. Council of Economic Advisers e. Office of Personnel Management

Category III

100

All of the following were appointed as cabinet positions by George Washington EXCEPT:

a. Secretary of State b. Secretary of the Interior c. Secretary of War d. Attorney General e. Secretary of the Treasury

200

All of the following accurately describe the usual relationship between a president and the cabinet EXCEPT:

a. The department secretaries usually act fairly independently from the president. b. Cabinet members spend the large majority of their time on departmental business. c. Cabinet members seek to defend and promote their own departments in cabinet meetings. d. Cabinet members often compete with one another for resources and attention. e. Cabinet members function as the president's representative to the departments.

400

When the founders created the electoral college, they almost certainly believed that

a. the electoral college would not work, but they needed a compromise to allow the Constitution to be ratified. b. the electoral college would be split often into southern and northern wings c. the ideal way to select the president was by vote in the state legislatures d. the electors would vote for favorite sons, thus often sending the election to the House of Representatives e. popular vote should replace the electoral college as soon as possible

500

Under the 22nd Amendment, which of the following would be ineligible to run for president?

a. a sitting president running for a third full term b. a sitting vice president who had never run for president before c. a sitting president who had served 1 1/2 years of a previous president's term plus one full term of his own d. a sitting president running for a second term e. a sitting vice president who had been president for one term before

Category IV

100

Today if a president becomes ill and cannot fulfill his duties, who determines whether he vice president becomes acting president?

a. the vice president alone b. the White House staff, with the approval of Congress c. both houses of Congress, but no one from the executive branch d. the vice president and the cabinet, but only with the approval of Congress e. the vice president and the cabinet, but if the president disagrees, Congress decides the issue.

200

According to the 25th Amendment, when the office of vice president is vacated

a. it remains open until the next election b. it is automatically filled by the Speaker of the House of Representatives c. it is automatically filled by the president pro tempore of the Senate d. it is filled by the president's appointment, with both houses of Congress approving the nomination. e. it is filled by the president's appointment, but the approval of Congress is not necessary

300

According to the Constitution, who can be impeached from public office?

a. Only the president and v ice president of the United States b. the president, vice president, court justices and other civil officers c. The president, vice president, and members of Congress d. only members of Congress and the president e. only Supreme Court justices

400

Andrew Jackson employed a spoils system in hiring government workers in order to

a. reward party loyalists with key federal posts. b. ensure that upper-class, white males retained government positions c. make federal agencies more responsible to Congress d. decrease the rapid turnover in the federal service e. provide for a more hierarchical organization of the bureaucracy

500

. The president may exercise authority over the executive branch agencies in all of the following ways EXCEPT:

a. appointing people who support his point of view to senior executive levels b. issuing executive orders to agencies c. exercising authority through the Office of Management and the Budget d. appointing federal court justices to investigate alleged wrongdoings of an agency e. reorganizing or combining agencies to reward or punish them.